Distance Education Options

If you'd like to study at DTS, but you don't live near one of our locations, this page has the information you need to stay in your current ministry and complete a degree through distance education.

Overview

The Certificate of Biblical and Theological Studies (CBTS) can be completed entirely online with no trips to campus. Within the MA in Biblical Studies (MA[BS]) all 62 hours can be completed in any DTS location or in any format—including online. All other degree programs have "Residential" (i.e., face-to-face) requirements. The MA in Christian Leadership has the lowest residency requirements, only requiring 10 hours of on-campus course work.†

Residency Hours consist of hours completed face-to-face in a classroom at a location offering your degree. One important exception is the Ministry Residency Internship which does count as "residency" because it has a classroom component even though much of it may be completed at another location.

Non-Residency Hours are classes taken in a variety of formats—online and video- conferencing—or at a variety of locations that don’t offer select degree programs (e.g., if you're in the ThM program, classes in Austin count as "non-residency" according to our accreditors. But if you're in the MA/CL program that same class in Austin counts as "residence"). Non-residency also includes the following: thesis, applied research project, internship (with the exception of SL801 and SL802), advanced standing, transfer credit, and independent study.

† MA/CL - The MA in Christian Leadership degree only requires 10 hours of coursework on campus (which can be completed over winter or summer one week terms) when you also enroll in an 11-hour Ministry Residency Internship. The remaining 41 hours can then be completed online or at an extension campus.

Distance Learning Locations

Each of our six master’s-level extensions features classes taught by regular Dallas and Houston campus professors and offers complete MA/CL and MA(BS) degrees. For the ThM and professional MA degrees, you can start online or at an extension campus and complete the remaining hours at the Dallas or Houston campuses.